The Legacy Walk highlights the lives of 40 LGBTQ+ individuals who made an impact on world history and culture

For those of you visiting, those distinct streetscape rainbow pylons on North Halsted have a lot of history to them! Read on, and educate yourself on a treasure found only in Chicago.

The Legacy Walk is the country’s first outdoor LGBTQ+ museum. Located in Chicago’s landmark LGBTQ+ neighborhood of Northalsted, the exhibit lines a half mile stretch of the North Halsted Street Corridor between Belmont Avenue and Grace Street, and is defined by ten sets of 25-foot-tall rainbow pylons made of decorative steel. These pylons serve as a beacon for Chicago’s LGBTQ community, with each pair of pylons anchoring a section of the exhibit.

Bronze biographical markers are affixed to the rainbow pylons, commemorating the life and work of notable LGBTQ+ individuals whose contributions have helped shape the world. Each marker measures 18 inches by 24 inches and is mounted below each bronze memorial marker. Each donor who made the marker possible is recognized on a 4-inch by 18-inch dedication plate. With forty biographical markers in total, the exhibit boasts the largest collection of detailed bronze biographical memorials in the world.

Every year, on National Coming-Out Day (October 11), new memorials are added to the exhibit. The maximum memorial capacity for the exhibit was reached with its Phase VII dedication in 2018. As a result, older plaques are gradually rotated off the exhibit to make room for new dedications. A Visitor Center is currently in development, with plans to house the “retired” memorials. 

The Legacy Walk was declared a Historic Landmark in 2019. So if you’re looking for something to experience as part of Pride Month, definitely check it out. For more information on the Legacy Walk, visit legacyprojectchicago.org.